Adam Driver wanted to make a film about Kylo Ren – but Disney said no

The list of Star Wars films that were developed in recent years but never released is likely to be much longer than we previously imagined. There’s Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron, which never went into production despite being officially announced. Or Guillermo del Toro’s spin-off about Jabba the Hutt.

Now we can add another film to this list: The Hunt for Ben Solo. Adam Driver recently revealed this in an interview with Associated Press . Apparently the actor behind the Kylo Ren mask, who turns out to be Han Solo’s son in the sequel trilogy, has been working on a spin-off with Steven Soderbergh.

The Hunt for Ben Solo: Adam Driver wanted to make a new Star Wars film with Steven Soderbergh

Based on Driver’s rewrites, the film would have been set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and would have continued the story of Kylo Ren and Ben Solo, although the latter died at the end of episode 9. But that has never been a reason not to bring a character back.

Driver worked on the idea with Steven Sodebergh and Rebecca Blunt. Blunt is an alias of the writer, screenwriter and journalist Jules Asner, who is also married to Soderbergh. The two created a rough draft of the story before Scott Z. Burns came on board to write the script.

Driver remembers:

I’ve always been interested in making another Star Wars film. I have been talking about this since 2021. (Lucasfilm President) Kathleen (Kennedy) had contacted me. I always said, ‘With a great director and a great story I would be there immediately.’ I loved this character and loved playing her.

He goes on to say:

We wanted to be prudent and frugal with our budget and spend less money than most (Star Wars films). At the same time, we wanted to stay true to their spirit. They are handmade and character-oriented. In my opinion, The Empire Strikes Back is the benchmark for these types of films.

When the script was written, Driver and Soderbergh pitched the Ben Solo film to Lucasfilm executives, specifically Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni and Cary Beck. They were enthusiastic about the idea, but after that the team hit granite.

The end of the story was as follows:

We submitted the script to Lucasfilm. They really liked the idea. They completely understood our approach and our motivations. We presented it to (Disney CEO) Bob Iger and (Disney co-chairman) Alan Bergman, but they refused. They couldn’t imagine that Ben Solo could still be alive. And that was the end of the matter.

It would definitely have been exciting to see what a director like Steven Soderbergh, who has his very own stylecan get out of a franchise like Star Wars. Soderbergh himself tells the Associated Press:

I really enjoyed making the film in my head. I just think it’s a shame that the fans won’t get to see him.

Which Star Wars movie is next?

There hasn’t been a new Star Wars film released in six years. At his rate of work, Soderbergh would probably have brought an entire Ben Solo trilogy to the big screen in that time. Now the next offshoot of the star saga awaits us on 21. May 2026when Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters.

More about Star Wars:

Filming is also currently underway for Star Wars: Starfighter, which is directed by Shawn Levy and will be available to us from 26. May 2027 kidnapped to the galaxy far, far away. In addition, no other Star Wars film has a specific theatrical release date. Plans include a Rey sequel and a film about the beginnings of the Jedi.